Mayhem: Goddesses Of Delphi Part 11

"You heard that?"

"Comes under the heading of distressed, which I'm attuned to, so yeah, I heard."

While she ate, Ken focused on his phone, grunting occasionally, reading the headlines to her. Mayhem must have been tired from causing all the ruckus yesterday. Things seemed pretty quiet around the world. Anxiety soured the taste of yogurt on her tongue. It sucked waiting for the next wave of turmoil Pierus had planned.

When she'd finished off the last section of her orange, Ken stood, pocketing his phone. "Ready?"

"I left my car at the square. We'll have to go there first."

"No worries. Once we are done at Helios, you can drive me to the Athenian. I need to pack a bag if I'm staying here until after the full moon. I'll need my car, too."

"I'm sorry, I should have thought about that before insisting on coming here first."

"Girl, you were h.e.l.l-bound on getting a nap. Not that I blame you. You're my priority. My s.h.i.+t will always come second to what you need." He grinned as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You'll do well to remember it."

Her back twinged uncomfortably when she stood. She washed and dried her hands at the sink. She trudged across the room to retrieve her purse. Once it was in hand, Ken moved into place behind her.

Pressure tightened the air around her chest as the real world dissolved into the Hollow. Ken's vibrant cobalt aura flashed into her field of vision. Her own lighter sky-colored aura blended with his as they metaphysically moved from her kitchen to downtown Delphi. The light changed as Ken set them down in an alley around the corner from the square. Brows furrowed, he kept their presence cloaked until they determined the area was clear of mortals. As their bodies solidified again, the cloaking dropped like a blanket falling to the ground. Strolling casually, they exited the dank, narrow alleyway and headed toward her car. Ken's gaze swept the street, while Nia focused on the treetops. She doubted Mayhem would have wandered far away from the scene of their little skirmish yesterday. Relief trickled through her heart when she didn't spy the magpie anywhere near her.

Nia dug in her purse for her keys as they approached her car.

Ken whistled his appreciation. "Sweet ride, Nia. Can I drive?" His tone held a hint of gear-head hope.

"Is chauffeur part of the protector service?"

"Nope. I just always wanted to drive one of these."

She underhand-tossed the keys to him. "I'll navigate."

"I knew I'd won the partisan lottery!" The car chirped as he unlocked it.

"Hang on. You guys switch your charges around for each of our lifetimes?"

"We used to. It added another layer to the secrecy each time. But eventually, we kind of all fell to protecting the same Muse existence after existence." Ken slid into the driver's seat and sighed. The engine growled to life, then purred like a well-fed cat.

Fastening her seat belt, Nia shook her head. "Have you always been a Ken? Because I'm fighting the urge to say 'Drive on, James.'"

Ken's laugh was swift and infectious. "Our names change in each existence, but I haven't been a James. Not yet anyway. But if the job comes with perks like this car, maybe I will be in my next lifetime."

"Okay, then." Nia chuckled along with him. "Take me to Helios, Ken-James. My presence is needed."

Chapter 15.

After Nia introduced her new houseguest to Bradley, Barry and the other techs in the observatory, she excused herself, instructing Ken to find her when he was ready.

She left him in Bradley's capable hands and hustled to her office down the hall. The constant ping on her phone was a sure clue her email was exploding with messages from around the world. The Helios Inst.i.tute was a go-to source of information for astronomical sites as well as some scientific and tabloid journalists. When something as big as tidal s.h.i.+fts occurred, Nia would naturally be the first person many people sought out for the facts.

Ken eventually joined her in her office, placing a paper cup of fragrant, and direly necessary, coffee in front of her. He spun the guest chair around, straddled it, and rested one arm along the back. After frowning at the muddle of papers scattered across the surface of her desk, he pulled a printed lunar chart toward him. Resting his chin on his arm, he studied the complex detail on the page. One good thing about having a partisan who was MIT trained in meteorology was he'd understand every word and line on the chart.

Nia replayed the video from the coronal burst last week as he read. Putting a hand to her neck, she rubbed hard at the knot that had formed while she'd been talking to the director at the Royal Observatory in Scotland. She'd failed to convince him the calculations were wrong and that there was no problem with the sun's axis.

"I wonder how much Mnemosyne would be able to make people forget if she did a broadcast memory wipe?" The G.o.ddess of memory was on call for the duration of the challenge. She'd be a good option for removing the most important information. Like the little detail of a celestial body out of place.

"A world-wide broadcast? Has it ever been done?"

"Not to my knowledge. But this Royal scientist's theory is troubling."

"Got a little tension there?" Ken pointed to her shoulders.

She tipped her chin from side-to-side, hoping for relief. "Yeah. I'm debating how much relief I'd get by travelling to Scotland and gagging this buffoon. He doesn't seem to understand, even though I've sent him doctored data."

"Why would you alter the data?"

The question p.r.i.c.kled painfully along her already taut neck. "If we can keep a lid on the moon's new orbit until we fix it, no one will have to know how close the world is to the edge of reason. Better for us G.o.ds and G.o.ddesses, don't you think?"

Ken shrugged. "Devil's advocate here...the general population discovers you've known but didn't reveal how the world was essentially going to h.e.l.l. How are they going to take it?"

"Not good." She rolled her shoulders instead of shrugging. "I've got to figure this out. What will make Thomas believe?"

Ken stood. Skirting around her desk, he stopped behind her chair. His hands warmed her tight muscles as soon as he laid them on her shoulders. "Maybe some kind of demonstration. What do you think his biggest hang up is?" He dug his fingers into the knots on her shoulders.

She dropped her head forward, squeezed her eyes closed and moaned. "G.o.ddess, maybe you should give him a ma.s.sage. Your hands are magic."

Chuckling, Ken swirled his thumbs in circles. "My hands are infused with magic. But I doubt that will work for Thomas."

"That's the problem with pairing with a man whose popular television show is called Doubting Thomas."

"I can see where that would be an issue." He stilled his hands on her back.

"Hey, keep rubbing. It helps me think."

Ken thumped the heel of his hand down her spine. Sunlight streaming in from her office window flickered over her closed eyelids.

She rounded her back. "Pierus predicted that if I fail, an innocent life would be lost. This person's destiny is to help someone bring aid to the poorest people. What if that person is Thomas's niece, Hailey? She's his world. If anything happened to her he'd never recover."

"We need to figure that out. Maybe the Fates could read Hailey's line. We could ask Lachesis. She spins the length of everyone's life. Makes sense to have her check on Hailey's life span."

"Seems like the challenge would negate all her hard work. Doesn't matter how long the Fates spun Hailey's lifeline. All bets are off if Pierus wins."

"Well, s.h.i.+t! Didn't think about that." Ken sighed. "Another problem we need to address is the ident.i.ty of Pierus's silent partner."

He shoved his fingers under her hair and ma.s.saged her scalp. Tension began to melt faster, in spite of their somber conversation.

Continuing, Ken speculated. "For Clio he enlisted the weather G.o.ds to distract her. For you, it's the lunacy unleashed by the alteration in the moon. Can't concentrate on leading Thomas to the big what if question when your power is constantly being drained to stamp out these anarchistic fires that keep popping up."

"Could it be Cratus?" She twisted to look over her shoulder at Ken.

He cupped the back of her head and urged it straight again. Keeping his hands moving on her scalp, he mused aloud. "The G.o.d of power and strength? Could be. If he is partnered with Pierus that could explain how that d.i.c.k with ears was able to hold Zeus in thrall when he was present at your meeting at the Athenian. I think I'll ask Mars to do a little digging into that."

She closed her eyes and gave herself over to the pleasure of ease his fingers provided. "I love you, Ken. You're one of the good ones."

His breath tickled her cheek when he bent and whispered into her ear. "d.a.m.n straight."

She chuckled, then moaned as he jabbed his thumbs into her neck.

"Oh, good. You're here."

Nia's eyes flashed open when she recognized the voice coming from her doorway.

The smile faded from his face and Thomas narrowed his eyes as he spied Ken. The thin set of his lips spoke volumes about his displeasure in finding Nia with Ken bent over her back, his hands on her head.

A muscle throbbed in his jaw. His brows drew together in a deep, angry vee. "Am I interrupting something?"

Chapter 16.

Frustration and anger burned through Thomas the instant he entered the office. Why the f.u.c.k did some other man have his hands on Nia? The look of pleasure on her face reminded him of their time together the other night. When he'd moved inside her. Emotion blasted through him, a blazing, green-hued monster. It startled him to realize he was jealous.

"Thomas!" Her eyes widened and she sent him a s.e.xy smile. "I wasn't expecting you."

The jacka.s.s with his hands on Nia didn't stop ma.s.saging her. Teeth grinding together painfully, Thomas curled his hands into fists. "The show is on hiatus for six weeks so I had time. Thought I'd stop by and surprise you." He flicked his glance to the big bruiser behind her, then back to Nia. "Surprise."

Nia knocked the guy's hands away as she stood. Crossing the room, she approached him. She rested a hand on his arm and rose on her toes.

The press of her satiny lips to his in greeting made inroads to the anger and distrust that had claimed him when he first entered the office. He encircled her waist and returned the kiss with a fervor the other man couldn't mistake. He marked Nia as his own and hated himself for feeling like he needed to stake that claim.

When Nia eased away from him, he stopped her backward motion by locking his hands together at the small of her back. "I'm sorry if I'm interrupting important work."

She searched his face, a tiny frown marring the perfection of her brow. "Let me introduce you." Grasping his wrists, she pulled out of his embrace. Holding one hand, she tugged him toward her cluttered desk. A whimsical picture on the wall behind the desk depicted a man hanging stars in the heavens.

"Thomas, I'd like you to meet an old friend and colleague, Ken Hillerman. I know him from NASA, but now he's moving to town to accept a job in research and development." She swept a hand toward the blond hulk. Ken extended his arm in greeting, a gesture that reminded Thomas of gladiators. Nia continued the introduction. "Ken, this is Thomas Wilde."

"Thomas Wilde of Doubting Thomas? I knew you looked familiar. Love your show." Ken pumped Thomas's arm vigorously. "Pleasure to meet you."

Nia rolled her eyes at Ken's enthusiasm and gave her head an almost imperceptible shake. Thomas distinctly heard her tell the big dope to cool it, even though her lips hadn't moved. Ken moved a pace backward, hands at his side, palms out, as if conceding something. A snarky grin spread across his face.

Perplexed, Thomas watched the byplay between them. He directed his gaze back to Nia. "I was hoping to get a word with you." He shot a glance toward Ken. "Alone."

"Oh, sure." She smiled brightly at the other man. "Ken, can you give us the room? Bradley should still be in the observatory if you want to check in with him." She jerked her head toward the door.

"Yeah, sure. I was just leaving. It's really an honor to meet you, Thomas. Hope to see you around." Ken strode across the room. The door clicked shut behind him.

In silence, Nia strolled around her desk and took a seat. Thomas followed her, and rested his b.u.t.t on the edge of the desk. Crossing his arms, he squirmed into a more comfortable position. The tip of his shoe connected with her chair as he swung his leg.

Amus.e.m.e.nt lit her eyes as he studied her gorgeous face. Too busy the other night losing himself in her body, he hadn't noticed the dark navy ring around the iris of her eyes. The effect was accentuated as a sunbeam leaked in through the blinds.

Cupping her cheek, he leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers. "I didn't get to kiss you good morning today," he whispered into her mouth.

Her lips curved in a smile. She laid her hand on his knee. "No, you didn't. My loss, I think."

Easing away from her, Thomas covered her hand, holding her in place. The heat from her palm scored a direct hit on his groin. Predictably, his d.i.c.k filled. The heavy, eager weight pressed against the fabric of his jeans. Taking a deep breath, he willed it to cease and desist. "I'm sorry, but I have to ask...who is that guy?"

Confusion flitted over her face. "I told you. He's a co-worker."

"I mean, who is he to you? The pair of you looked pretty chummy when I walked in." His chest tightened uncomfortably. Thomas couldn't remember the last time he'd felt so insecure about a woman's feelings. This thing between them had simply become too freaking important in his life in far too short a span of time. "I'm pretty sure I heard you tell him you love him."

"Thomas, I've known Ken a very long time. But we never have been, nor will we ever be anything more than friends. He's not the man for me." Her eyes sparkled like stars as she gave his knee a rea.s.suring squeeze.

"I don't...I don't know why this was so important to me. But it was. Is." He leaned forward, cupped her cheek and reclaimed her lips.

She opened to him, easing her tongue into his mouth. Tasting of coffee, smelling of lemons and thyme. Wrapping his fingers around her nape, he increased the pressure of his lips and fenced with her tongue, a dominant parry for each of her delicate ripostes. She uncrossed her legs and leaned into him. The skin of her bare knee was cool and satiny beneath his palm. As the kiss deepened, he slid his hand along her thigh, reaching under the hem of her short skirt. He curled his fingers over her inner thigh and squeezed.

Her lips curved against his and she whispered, "Did you lose something?"

Trailing his mouth over her jaw, he nuzzled his way down her neck as he slipped his fingers closer to the apex of her thighs. "I think I've found heaven." He nipped her neck, delighted when she s.h.i.+vered. "Is this okay? In your office I mean."

Nodding, she drew away to look at him. "Probably should lock the door."

Withdrawing his hand from under her skirt, he made sure to stroke his fingertips over her soft flesh on the way. Standing with a stiffy in his pants required a tremendous amount of concentration. The walk to her office door was uncomfortable, but the sound of the lock clicking home made the journey worthwhile. Twisting the cord on the blinds covering the door, he shut the world out.

On the return trip across the room, her gaze followed him, dipping low to his belt buckle then flas.h.i.+ng back up. She'd laid her hand on her heart, and he found her pose endearing and seductive.

He spun her chair to the side, and then kneeled in front of her. He gently spread her legs, and as he possessed her mouth once more, he slid his right hand back under her skirt. His shaft jumped as his fingers brushed against the damp silk of her panties. Desire swelled in his chest when she moaned as he pressed the tip of his middle finger against her opening.

She clasped his head and opened her mouth wider, sucking his tongue farther inside. As he pressed closer between her legs, her skirt bunched higher on her thighs. Wiggling his other hand beneath her fine a.s.s, he angled her pelvis, exposing her center.

Hooking his fingers under the lace between her legs, he eased it to the side. The timbre of her sigh was musical as he stroked along her folds. He flicked her c.l.i.t, delighted to capture her answering moan between his lips. Thrusting his tongue deep in her mouth, he mimicked the movement with his finger. Gasping, she tore her lips from his and arched her neck. Her hips rocked in time with his hand and her juices melted into his palm. She was f.u.c.king hot, and pa.s.sionate...quivering like a leaf in the breeze.

Her breath shortened and his pulse kicked up to match her quiet panting. Twisting his hand, he slipped another finger inside. She shuddered when he touched her in the most sensitive area-her g-spot. As he thumbed the taut nub at the top of her folds, her body tightened and clamped down on his fingers.

Blood sang in his veins, rushed in his ears and pulsed heavily in his shaft. The pressure of his zipper on his d.i.c.k edged past painful to excruciating. Kneeling on the uncomfortable floor should have distracted him from the plight of his blue b.a.l.l.s, but it didn't. It was bliss to watch Nia dance on the rim of rapture, her mouth open on a moan, her eyes squeezed tightly shut, her hands cupping her b.r.e.a.s.t.s as he worked his fingers farther inside.

He buried his face in her belly, releasing the groan that had built in his throat as he worked her to a finish. She arched as she reached her o.r.g.a.s.m, a quiet cry hissing through her lips.